Brand New Life
by The Little Giant
Summary: This story is a modern version of Ocarina of Time and the main character, Link, faces many challenges as he tries to defeat a man who plans on taking over all of Hyrule and the rest of the world.
1. Chapter 1 - Navi

**The story begins with Link as a 13-14 year old in the Kokiri forest. This story is set in a more modern time period - so this Link isn't running around in a tunic. Feel free to message me with any of your own ideas that you want in my story. **

Link awoke to the sudden sound of a rock hitting his bedroom window. The boy yawned before he rose up from underneath the blankets and sat up; looking out the window. A faint smile came to the Hylian's face as he spotted his dear friend Saria standing outside of his home waving excitedly up at him from the ground below.

Very quickly Link dashed into his bathroom and flicked on the lights. His cerulean blue eyes focused on his reflection in the mirror before him. He grimaced, immediately noticing the juicy pink pimples dotting his pale skin, and washed his face - hoping that one day they would all go away. After having washed his face, he ran his fingers through his shaggy blonde hair; pushing it out of his face so that it wouldn't cause any more zits to form. Link grunted impatiently as his golden locks quickly fell back onto his face - to, very soon, create more little pimples for him to gawk at.

"Come on, hurry up!" the Hylian heard his Kokiri friend holler as he rushed to grab his green beanie and pull it onto his head. Right before he got out the door, he made sure to snatch his bag, which Saria teasingly called his "purse", and then slung it over his shoulder.

"Hey pizza-face!" Saria said with a friendly smile as she saw her friend come up to her. Pizza-face was a nickname she had made for Link due to the fact that he always had a bright red pimple on his pale face. It didn't help that much that it, Link's acne problem, was one of the things he was made fun of at school - but the boy didn't really seem to mind as much when it was Saria who called him this.

The Hylian did not reply, as usual, but he gave her a shy little smile. It was only his social ineptness that kept him from talking to her, not the lack of a bond. The two were very good friends.

In Saria's hands was a scraggly little dog with soft white fur, and there was a black satchel slung over her shoulder. The girl's short bob-like hair was primarily a light blonde; but she had rebelliously dyed parts of it a bright green without her parents consent. She was wearing her dirty black high tops, a black skirt, and a loose-fitting gray sweater with dark green stripes. Saria was what the other Kokiri called a troublemaker, but she was still very loyal to the goddesses and had a strong love for nature. Link's eyes looked deeply into the small animal's and he wondered why this time Saria had brought this little dog with her.

"I found her this morning, she was lying at my front door. I don't think she has a home... She _is_ very skinny, and her fur is very matted and dirty. The problem is that I can't keep her - my parents won't let me." the girl said wistfully as she looked down at the dog and back up at her friend. Knowing that he would not comment, she continued.

"Her name is 'Navi', it says right here," Saria said, motioning toward the silver tag on the dog's blue leather collar, "but there is no number or address... Odd, isn't it?". She showed it to Link so that he could see it.

Link's hands turned the dog's tag over to see two fairy's wings. It reminded him of the tales he had heard of the fairies in the woods who took the form of animals. It was said that each of these fairies all imprinted upon a Kokiri child and watched over them. Link wondered if he had a fairy.

"Hello there, little one!" a soft voice resounded in the Hylian's mind. The boy looked up at Saria, wondering if she had heard it as well, but she was still going on about how strange she thought the little dog was.

Suddenly, Link realized something. That voice had been the dog's, and that only he could hear it. He knew this could only mean one thing: a fairy had come to him.

"Something wrong?" Saria asked as she looked over at the boy who was staring blankly at the dog; overwhelmed by the fact that he had a fairy. This caused Link to regain his focus, and then shake his head no in response. After this had occurred, the white-furred canine leaped eagerly out of Saria's arms and lead them both into the forest ahead of them.

"I guess we should follow her... Come along, Link!" the girl said as her eyes glimmered with excitement in the morning sun. The quiet young man ran after them both - sensing the adventure ahead of them. He wondered what the dog would lead them both to.

The sun was now beginning to beat down on the both of them as they made their way over to a massive tree in the middle of a meadow; which Navi energetically dashed over to before resting beneath its long branches. Saria was the second of the three to make it to the tree - Link had been lagging behind most of the journey looking around at things.

As soon as the boy sat down next to his friends, green leaves began to swirl around the tree and the wind began to whistle an enchanting lullaby. Link was lured to sleep by the song as Saria knelt over him; wanting to show him the opening that was forming in the tree.

There was nothing but blackness all around him. All he heard was the low voice of the tree.

"It is I, the Great Deku Tree, who has sent you Navi... I have chosen you to help me in something that no one else can do. When you awake, your friend will have already wandered inside of me and be trapped down at the far bottom. You must venture forth to save both your friend and me..."

Link's eyes opened to find the gaping hole at the side of the tree. Navi was standing over him - her tail wagging as she licked his face joyously. She then went over to the opening, looking over at him as she wished for him to do the same.

Link knew it was the only thing he could do to get Saria back and to save the tree, so he followed eagerly as he hoped that he would make it - wondering what saving the Deku Tree might bring him.


	2. Chapter 2 - Under Farore's Protection

"You really think you can fight off enemies with that bag of yours, boy?" Navi questioned Link as he stepped towards the tree. For a moment he looked down at his bag; blushing from embarrassment. He had forgotten that he actually had to fight...

The boy searched the area for anything that could be useful. Just as he was doing so, he spotted an old wooden chest resting beside the tree. How could he have missed that one? Hastily, Link opened up the chest and pulled out a sword and a strange wooden Deku Shield.

It was a rather odd feeling for him to be holding the ancient weapon - for he had no training in using a sword at all. The teenaged boy almost felt as if he were becoming more like his ancestors in a way - as if they were guiding him along the beginning of his journey...

He hoped that it didn't take much to get used to wielding a sword, because he knew for sure there would be many enemies he would have to battle inside the Deku Tree. Link then awkwardly stumbled over to the entrance; sweaty palms gripping the heavy weapon.

"This guy should be easy..." the child's fairy said to him as she saw an enemy up ahead that Link clearly did not know of until he was standing right over it.

How long would this take him? Were his parents worrying about him? These were the questions that came to his young mind as he frantically attempted to slay a massive Deku Baba that shot up straight from the ground directly beneath him. The plant managed to wrap itself around Link's leg and pull him, with fierce strength, to the ground; the boy falling face flat. Blood spurted from his nostrils as his heart raced; glancing down at a nasty wound from the beast's bite. This wasn't as easy as Navi said it was. How would he even make it in here if he could not kill the easiest enemy?

Then, all of the sudden, Link saw the goddess of courage, Farore, sitting down beside his body. She stroked his cheek, the way a mother would, and placed a kiss on the boy's cheek.

"You are brave, you are strong... Much like your many ancestors. Link, you are the chosen one. Now stand up and take down your enemy." Farore whispered to the blonde as she gazed into his blue eyes. Within moments, she was gone and Link was back up on his feet; destroying the Deku Baba. He then finally managed to kill it, along with many others of its kind. it was not until he spotted an intimidating Skulltula that he grew nervous again.

"Look! Over here!" Navi barked as she scratched at a treasure chest. A smile came to the boy's face, just as his ancestors once did in the face of danger, and he opened it - pulling out a slingshot. It was a little damaged, so he had to fix it up a bit before approaching the Skulltulas fully. He found a few Deku seeds lying around and aimed them at the spider-like monsters - killing them all instantly.

His heart pounded, this time because he was excited for the adventures ahead of him, and he bravely took out his sword; unsure of how to kill the Giant Skulltula in front of him. The beast caught him off guard and knocked him into the wall viciously. Link let out a heavy groan as he tried his hardest to get back up; infected by the poison from the Skulltula. He lazily thrusted his sword at the soft belly of the animal and watched as it fell of the ledge - dead. He too fell off the ledge since the poison was beginning to get to his brain and broke through the web in the center of the Deku Tree.

Back at Link's home, his Kokiri parents paced around the house anxiously - calling all of their neighbors and notifying everyone that they could of their child's disappearance. The boy's mother and father then drove down to the local police station with pictures of him and things of his that they could use to identify him.

"Please find my boy... I can't live without him!" the mother desperately shouted in the nearly empty police station. She then added, "I bet it was that girl.. Saria..." scowling as she thought of her adoptive son's dearest friend who had gone missing as well. She feared the day that Saria would lead Link away from his home and out into the woods - to live their lives like the ancient Kokiri. She had expected it to come some day, since Saria in particular took interest in the lives of her ancestors.

"Do you think he found out?" the father whispered to his wife, referring to the fact that he was adopted. The woman did not reply, but she stared ahead grimly - considering the fact that he indeed could have.

A weary-eyed and dangerously overweight police officer looked over the pictures of the boy's face; squinting at them as if he were trying to keep them in his memory even though it was quite obvious that he wasn't that passionate about his job.

"Mmmkay... We'll take a couple cars out ma'am, but I'm 'fraid thats all we can do here..." he said with a drowsy yawn as he stepped out of the building and slowly drove away while Link lay unconscious in the water that was in the basement floor of the Deku Tree.


	3. Chapter 3 - On to Hyrule

"Don't you make me come down there, get up here!" the policeman carelessly shouted down at Link who was just beginning to wake up; his pale eyelids fluttering open to reveal bright, burning sapphires. It wasn't long until he collapsed once more; splashing back into the cold water that lied at the bottom of the Deku Tree.

"I hate my job..." the man muttered irritably as he shouted at his younger, and much more fit, colleague to come down and grab Link. The boy was eventually brought up and was immediately driven down to a hospital about an hour out of town since they were in a very remote area.

Link awoke again to see his mother and father standing beside him. He looked around. A white hospital gown was the only thing on him, and there was a shabby faded pink blanket covering his body. An aged doctor walked into the room to speak with Link's concerned mother and father.

"He's alright," he began, eyeing the child and his many pimples quite blankly, "but you might want to buy something for that acne of his..." The blonde's cheeks turned a bright cherry red as he examined his faint reflection on the window in front of him.

"But we'll keep him here for a day or two, just to make sure there's nothing else wrong. He had some sort of unidentifiable toxin in him - he might have been doing drugs or something with that girl..." the man added after a few moments as he tapped his foot impatiently.

"So they found her?" Link's mother questioned as she glared at her son - thinking that he had been doing drugs out in the woods. She, of course, didn't actually care if the girl was dead or alive - it was just curiosity that brought her to ask the doctor this question.

"From what I heard they haven't... If you would excuse me I have to go deal with another patient..." the gray-haired doctor answered before walking out of the room - faking a wide smile at the blonde Hylian boy and his Kokiri parents.

Immediately Link's adoptive mother went up to him, arms crossed, and gave him a cold, menacing stare with her emerald green eyes that only a mother could give when scolding her child.

"Is that true, Link, that you were doing drugs with that girl?" she asked before continuing her lecture - quickly running a hand through her shoulder-length blonde hair.

"I knew she was a troublemaker... Just as everyone else said in town. I should have never let you go near her and her lunatic father. I'm afraid that they're turning you into what _they _are..." the woman hissed as she waited for her son to reply - knowing deep down that he would not.

"I've had enough with you not talking to me. You know what? I'm sending you straight to a psychologist. Maybe it was alright when you were younger, but you're too old for this Link. Too old. It's time for you to start acting like a mature, responsible young man!" she spat as she eyed her son angrily; the blood within her boiling. She loved him dearly, more than most mothers would love their children, but she was extremely demanding and wanted him on only his best behavior at all times.

"You know, you better listen to her... She's usually right about these things, kiddo." Link's adoptive father timidly added in after minutes of total silence passed - he was always the one who would be stuck having to support his uptight wife.

Link was staring right at his mother in a somewhat submissive manner as his hands fidgeted nervously - of all the things in the world, it was only his mother he feared, and fear itself. His eyes welled up with tears as he pictured Saria lying dead - her body forever trapped inside the Deku Tree. He would always love Saria more than his adoptive parents who he had grown up with; although he did respect them. It was at that moment that he had chosen to do something _very _unexpected.

Link rose up out of his hospital bed and bolted down the hall and out into the vacant parking lot; Navi the little white dog coming up to him as soon as he had left the building. He was going out to save Saria, and the Deku Tree, and he would let absolutely _nobody _get in his way.

Minutes after he took off, the same police car that had brought him there trailed after him through the woods. Link ran for hours, and the car followed. He didn't stop at all - knowing that it would only bring him back to his mother and a psychologist questioning him about his silence.

Rain began to fall as night colored the sky a brilliant purple. Link tripped and slid in the mud, rolling over and falling into a muddy creek nearby. A deep growl erupted from within him as one of the policemen stepped out of the car to take him back. Link grabbed the man by his shirt collar and threw him down onto the cold, hard ground before running off toward the bustling city of Hyrule that lay ahead of him.


	4. Chapter 4 - A Friend Named Malon

The magnificent pale moonlight shone down on the crowded streets of Hyrule; mixing in with the yellowish lights streaming from lamp-posts and the bright, nearly blinding, neon signs hanging on the windows of shops that were all lined up at each sides of the streets. The clusters of vehicles on the road produced a whole lot of noise, from the impatient honking of horns, and lit up the many highways that cut through the large town. Small packs of stray dogs even managed to stay alive in the city - and they would trail after just about any human with food on their hands. The city was alive, even at this hour.

Link sped down the sidewalks as he desperately searched for help. Precious memories of all the wonderful times he had spent with Saria back in the Kokiri Forest flashed through his mind as small tear drops rolled down his cheeks - causing the outer part of his eyes to flash a fiery red. Right then, he missed Saria more than anything. He was hoping, and praying, that she was still alive - which she was, but she was still trapped. The boy needed to get back to the Deku Tree, and if he were to make it there anytime soon, he'd need directions - or at the very least, some advice.

Link turned at the corner of the street, quickly crossing to get to an alley on the other side, and went up to a small little shack in that alley that had a sign that read: "Bike Rentals, high quality Epona bikes 5 rupees an hour". Five rupees an hour? Link _knew_ he didn't have that kind of money, but he sure needed one of those bikes...

The runaway tried to think of a way he could "borrow" one for free so that he could get to Saria in time to save her. Fortunately, there wasn't anyone nearby the stand at that moment, or so he thought, so he eagerly grabbed ahold of the handle of the largest bike there and got onto it. It was right at that moment that a redheaded girl his age stepped up behind him.

"Going somewhere, sir?" she asked quite calmly as she placed a calloused hand on Link's shoulder, stopping him from taking off with the bike, and leaned forward - placing her head next to his. Feeling the girl's pointed ear brush up against the side of his face, the Hylian shivered; not expecting anyone to catch him in the act of stealing the bike.

The boy turned around to face the stranger as he stepped off of the Epona. This girl had blue eyes just like his, but a few shades darker. Her hands appeared to be tougher, calloused, and this was perhaps from guitar-playing or simply just exploring the woods. It looked as if she had just recently braided a small strip of her wavy scarlett locks - since the braid appeared to be tighter than a more worn-out braid. She was wearing baggy camo pants that went a little over an inch past her knees and a loose-fitting white tank-top. With just one glance at her, Link knew for sure she was someone Saria would get along well with - since the Kokiri was quite a tomboy herself.

"Can't you read? It says five rupees an hour - no more, unless you're feeling generous, and _definitely _no less. It might sound like a lot, but these are high-quality bikes here, thief. If you want to speak with my father he owns the whole Epona company that's right up the road there..." the stranger said as she smirked at Link - amused at the fact that he thought he could get away with what he had just tried to do. Humbly, the blonde gave her a sincere nod and backed away - not wanting to cause any trouble with the girl and feeling sorry for what he had done. He'd have to find another way to get to Saria and the Deku Tree faster than he could on foot...

"Wait, don't go! If you help me with one thing you can have this one here for free!" the tomboy hollered as she watched the boy begin to back away from her. This was the typical reaction she got from most boys since she was far more boisterous and rambunctious than the other girls in her class. She most certainly wasn't like her friend Zelda, who was known for being very calm and wise - much like her father who was the mayor of Hyrule. Little did she know, the blonde wasn't leaving her for the same reason the others boys did - he was just trying to reach his own friend.

Link hesitantly approached her again and gave her a small smile and nodded - wanting to have the bike without paying the price with rupees that he did not have. At this the redhead's smile grew, and she was glad that he chose to stay.

"If you can beat me in a bike race down that big hill in the park to the ice cream shop I'll let you have it - just don't tell my father, you promise?" the middle-school student said to him as she tried her hardest to talk over all the noise that came with being in a city. She had expected a verbal reply, not the one Link gave her; which was a simple nod. The girl wondered if he was just shy or if, for some reason, he was unable to speak. She decided to try and get him to say something since she was rather curious what his voice sounded like.

"What was that? I can't hear you!" she shouted in a voice that was much louder than it needed to be, her dark blue eyes looking at her new friend in a more friendly and playful manner. Link responded, once again, with a nod - but this nod was much more profound.

"Alright then, grab that adult bike, a big guy like you will need it, and follow me!" the blue-eyed redhead said just before she rode down the side of the road on her very own Epona bike that had, what Link believed to be, her name on it: Malon.

By the time they had reached the park, the sun was beginning to peek just above the horizon. This reminded Link that he absolutely had to beat Malon in this race; that he didn't have the time to lose. If he didn't win, it just might cost him Saria's life.

With Saria in the Hylian's mind, he began the race. He groaned painfully when he had ran over his own foot while speeding down the hill, and, as soon as he had made it onto the sidewalk close to the ice cream shop, he quickly swerved away from a mother pushing a baby carriage. His heart dropped at the moment he saw Malon pull up to the ice cream shop first - already gloating, in a playful manner, from her victory over him, just like Saria would have done...

Link sat down on the curb in the front of the ice cream shop, arms tucking his knees up to his chest, and heaved a sigh of sadness. He wouldn't have cared less if his losing _didn't _mean not getting to Saria on time - but this wasn't the case. Malon sat down next to him, with two dripping ice cream cones in her hands, and handed one to her new friend.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have rubbed it in like that... You can have that bike anyway." Malon said after biting off a chunk of her strawberry scoop and looking towards Link. She watched as a small fluffy white dog with a blue collar came up to him and how he had smiled - watching it lick his vanilla ice cream.

"Is that your dog? I had a cat once... She acted a whole lot like a dog, your dog sort of reminds me of her - she had fluffy white fur that was so soft. A couple years ago I brought her along with me to the park and I watched a pickup truck squish her like she was nothing..." the girl's voice spoke as she stroked Navi's face that had ice cream dripping from it - looking into the dog's intelligent brown eyes.

"If that was her attempt at trying to cheer you up, I'd say she did pretty horrible..." Navi's voice chided in her Hylian friend's mind. Link's smile grew as he heard this, and he hoped Malon hadn't mistaken his grin for him finding her cat's death amusing.

Unexpectedly Malon started to cry, her face turning a bright pink as she tried desperately to hide by placing her hands over her face. Link knew that this was because she was thinking of her cat because of what she said soon after she started to cry.

"I'm sorry... I just loved her so much!" the redhead sobbed as she continued to hide her face - her crying was beginning to stop but there were still a couple sniffles every now and then. The girl's friend placed his arm around her shoulder - for he had been sad himself, for the cat and for Saria. Soon after, Malon got up and waved him over to the other sidewalk across the street that lead to an elegant apartment building.

"I was just about to go over to my friend's house and I thought you might like to meet her. She lives in this apartment building right here. Your parents probably aren't worrying about you, right?" she said as she looked over at Link - the pink on her skin beginning to fade away as she no longer thought of her deceased pet. The girl laughed after Link gave her his usual, and only, response - a head nod. This was not true, because right at that moment Link's parents, the ones who had so lovingly adopted him, were worried sick about him.

"Good! Her name is Zelda" Malon said, and with that they both stepped into the elevator that would take them up to Zelda's home. Link wasn't sure why he had chosen to go with her to her friend's house, but there was something about that name "Zelda" that was far too strangely familiar. He could have sworn he had heard it in a dream...


	5. Chapter 5 - The Black Cloud

"Hello Malon..." a soft voice sounded from the other side of the door. Link blushed - unsure if the girl's friend would be comfortable with letting a messy-looking boy like him into her home. The boy saw a pointed nose from where he stood as Zelda, Malon's friend, slowly pulled open the heavy door to let the both of them inside.

"Hi!" the red-headed girl energetically responded as she eagerly yanked Link over toward the both of them to introduce him to her friend. The Hylian took in the soft features of Zelda's face - gazing into her steel gray eyes and examining the loose braid her mid-back length brown hair was tied into. The girl wore a pale pink v-neck sweater with light-colored jeans and was more delicate-looking than her tomboyish friend - although she looked to be more scholarly than spoiled and prissy. She had a very calm and intelligent look in her eyes and she stood a whole head lower than the boy.

"Zelda, this is Link. I met him last night and he's a pretty cool guy - but he doesn't talk that much." Malon chirped as she glanced quickly at Link and then took both of their hands and forced them together - making them give each other a rather awkward handshake. Zelda smiled shyly as she looked up at the Hylian and was pleased to see that he had smiled back.

"Isn't he handsome?" Malon whispered to Zelda at the very moment Link turned around to examine the apartment - looking over the paintings and family portraits that hung on the wall. He then saw a small wooden statue of Farore and smiled as he held it in his hand; thinking of the time she had encouraged him to keep fighting. Zelda quickly dismissed what Malon had whispered, although she did find him to be somewhat attractive, and decided to ask the boy where he was from - since she felt that he was strangely familiar.

"Do you go to our school, Link?" the girl reluctantly asked, being shy around those she did not know well. She swallowed as she watched him turn toward her, setting the statue down, and shook his head no.

"Hmmm..." Zelda said to herself as she tried to think of where she had heard his name and seen his face before before then realizing that he was the one that appeared in all of her dreams... Link had realized the same thing - that she had been in one of his own recurring dreams as well.

"Do you two want to ride down to that bike path that's on the edge of town? I bet we've got enough time to get there." Malon said to them both as a smile spread across her face; happy to see they were both getting along well enough.

"Sure, it's just that I'd rather walk though..." Zelda said as she timidly crossed her arms behind her back - embarrassed of how one time she had accidentally fell off her bike on the lawn of her father's "friend" Ganon.

"You're still stuck on that, Zelda? I would've laughed right in his face - that man is using your parents and you know it!" the girl's friend shouted - causing Zelda's cheeks to turn a bright red.

"Shhh! My parents are home! Yes, if you were wondering, I agree with you -" Zelda said before she was interrupted by her father who slid into the room and sat down at the kitchen table that was straight across from the living room they were standing in. The man sat there, smiling, and took sips of his coffee as he watched the three young teenagers.

"Dad, could you please leave?" Zelda said impatiently as she eyed her father.

"What she means is that we want to go for a bike ride." Malon said as she quickly stood in front of Zelda and smiled politely at her father - hoping that he would let the three of them go outside.

"I suppose - just stay right here on this street so you're safe..." the man said after taking another sip of his coffee. He had always been very protective of Zelda and kept a close watch on her - fearing that she might lie to him like her mother had. Zelda's mother had had an affair with Ganon, and Zelda's father knew this despite the fact that his wife had not told him.

The mayor, Zelda's father, smiled weakly at the three children as he watched them all walk out the door and sighed - knowing that he would once again be left all alone in his apartment for hours. He stared out the window and watched as Malon lead Zelda out of the neighborhood and how Link had hesitated to follow. Link then looked up through the window and saw the mayor's face and turned back toward the two girls. It took a while, but Zelda and Malon had both eventually gotten him to ride away with them. The mayor smiled - admiring the boy for a moment and thinking of how he had been like him when he was his age.

Malon, Zelda, and Link were nearing the front yard of Ganon's house when Zelda had decided to get off her bike and walk it to the entrance of the bike path that was in front of Ganon's mansion. Malon looked down at Navi, Link's fairy who took the form of a dog, and watched as the animal had pooped on the grass - an idea coming to her mind. The girl took out a paper bag and picked up the feces, putting it in the bag, and placed it in front of Ganon's front door; then pulling out a lighter and setting it on fire. It was the perfect prank, in her mind, to pull on someone as nasty and grouchy as Ganon.

Zelda, seeing what Malon had done, dove behind a nearby bush and pulled Link down to the ground with her. Malon rung the doorbell and joined the two.

"What are you trying to get us sent to the police station? This isn't funny... This isn't funny..." Zelda whispered to her friend before putting a hand over her mouth - trying to stop herself from laughing. She turned away; not wanting to have her friends see her find Malon's childish act amusing. Navi then joined the three thirteen year-olds and lied down next to Malon.

"I'd say he deserves it, considering the fact that he's using Zelda and her family to acquire the three spiritual stones and take over all of Hyrule, don't you agree?" Navi said to Link as he looked down at her.

"Oh, that's right... You don't know that yet..." Navi added later as she peeked through the bushes and saw Zelda's mother, who was wearing a rather fancy red dress, open the door and scream - stomping on the small fire with her red heels only to have dog poop splattered all over them. The woman kicked off her high-priced shoes and ran over to her car, knowing that the person who had pulled the prank on her had most likely found out about her affair with Ganon, and pulled out of the driveway as fast as she could. After Zelda's mother left, Ganon came out and put out the rest of the fire with a glass of wine he held in his hand. Spotting Malon in the distance, he shouted out to her.

"You little brat! Just wait until I call the cops on you!" he hollered as he slammed the door. After this had occurred, the three friends, and the dog, ran out into the woods to avoid coming into contact with the police. They stopped when they reached a green, grassy hill that gave them a good view of the night sky that was filled with sparkling stars.

Malon lied down on the grass, nearly asleep as she was looking up at the stars with Navi on her lap, and Zelda and Link both sat up.

"So, do you know how my mother is having an affair with him?" Zelda asked Link after a few minutes went by. She had known of the affair for a long time, but she was still shocked to have seen her mother. It was very disappointing for her. Link nodded, so Zelda decided to continue talking.

"He's doing that just to make my dad look bad... He even uses my father for money sometimes. I swear, I just don't know how my dad puts up with him..." the girl added as she looked up at the stars - thinking of all the dreams that she had had of Link.

"I know this might sound weird, but ever since I was little I would have this dream of you running out of the woods, dressed like a knight in a bright green uniform the color of your shirt, and there would _always _be this dark cloud... I just know that that cloud is supposed to be Ganon... Things have been growing more tense between him and my father lately." Zelda said with a sigh as she looked over at Link who sat cross-legged next to her.

"I've never told anyone other than Malon this but Ganon is trying to steal all three spiritual stones so that he can rule over the whole world. What Ganon doesn't know is that my father doesn't have them; each of them are hidden in one city. I don't know exactly where they are but... Do you think you can find them?" Zelda asked as she looked into the Hylian boy's eyes. Link looked straight at her and gave her a sincere nod - focused entirely on the girl.

"You're a very brave boy... A very brave..." Zelda said before she drifted off to sleep beside Malon. Link was left awake, and he looked up at the stars - watching them form into a triforce as he too fell asleep on that hill.


	6. Chapter 6 - Purple Rupee

**The old man who is described in this chapter is Kaepora Gaebora and/or, SPOILER ALERT, Rauru. Please let me know if any part of this chapter doesn't go along well with the game - I will edit it if there are any ****major ****issues. **

"Is he awake?" a policeman with a rather swollen eye said as he looked down at Link who was lying down on an uncomfortable wooden bench inside the Hyrule Police Station. When did he get here? Then he remembered - he had fallen asleep up on that hill that was a couple miles away from Ganon's home, which they had fled from.

The boy squinted, his eyes not being able to adjust to the bright lights that shone in the room, and looked around to see if his friends were there. The Hylian heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of Zelda and Navi both sitting on a separate bench. The girl smiled nervously at Link, unsure of where Malon was, and stroked Navi's soft fur as the dog began to shiver from the cold air-conditioned room. Link then realized that Malon wasn't there with them. Where could she be?

His thoughts were answered as he saw another policeman let the wild redheaded girl into the room - a wary look in his eyes. Link figured that they found out how Malon had set the flaming bag of Navi's excretions on Ganon's porch, which they had, but they had pulled her out of the room for a moment for another reason... It took Link a while to find out what _really _happened but then when he caught another glimpse of the policeman with the bruised eye, he figured it out. Malon had punched a policeman.

"That Malon, she's a tough one. I'm guessing you probably figured out what she did by now..." Navi said as she glanced toward Link, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. Malon was really starting to grow on the fairy-dog.

Seeing a bathroom nearby, Link got up and went over to it and Navi speedily trailed after him. He _actually _had to go - he hadn't planned to escape somehow, so it surprised him that his dog had followed. Link awkwardly looked down at her; as if he were asking her to leave.

"Oh Link... I thought you were planning your escape... Can't you just hold it in?" Navi asked as she looked up at Link. Link sighed, and then hesitantly nodded toward his friend.

"You should go through that window right there - I assure you that your friends will be alright." the dog's voice resounded throughout his mind as they both were focused on the small window above the urinals.

" I was listening to those policeman and I heard they were just going to send you three off with a warning. If you choose to stay with them, however, they will find out that you ran away..." Navi said to Link as she hopped up onto the urinal, then clawing her way up to Link's shoulder. He wasn't given much of a choice, so he used all the strength he had to bend the metal bars - then smashed through the glass and squeezed through the small opening. Navi hopped off of Link's shoulder and hopped through the window, being the first to land, and Link immediately slammed into the hard pavement. Quickly, he got up, hearing the sound of policemen exiting the building at the realization that he escaped, Link ran off out onto the streets.

He would do what Zelda had asked him to do, of course, but Saria came first... His heart pounded as police cars took off after him and flashed their blinding red lights. It would take a miracle for him to be able to get past them all on such a busy day, but it just so happened that that day Link was given a miracle.

As he was running down the street, he looked down at his hand and saw an ink triforce slowly form on his hand. A smile formed on his face - somehow knowing that this meant he would make it.

After a whole day of running, Link was halfway back to the Kokiri Forest. He lied down on the side of the road and looked around. All there had been around him for hours was a seemingly endless highway and tall wild grass. He was beginning to doubt whether he would make it back in time to save Saria and if he really could gather all three spiritual stones. Little did he know, there were stalchildren clawing their way out from underneath the ground.

Link was slashed in the face by one of the skeletal creatures as soon as he was beginning to fall asleep. The boy quickly got up to his feet and boldly killed a group of them, that formed a tight circle around him, with a powerful spin attack.

Just as he thought he had killed all of them, many, MANY more of them came over to him and violently attacked him. It took him awhile, but he managed to kill all of them off individually with weaker sword strikes.

The boy came to his knees, exhausted, and backed away at the sight of a huge stalchild with fiery red eyes that approached him. Link mustered up all the courage he had and walked up to the monster - then took it down with another spin attack and a few strong slashes of his sword.

He smiled, watching the sight of his mighty foe fall, and was pleasantly surprised at a single shiny purple gem that slipped out from the inside of his enemy. He gratefully picked it up and then made his way back over to the side of the highway.

"Hey kid, you wanna ride?" a reckless old man, who was flying up in the air with an old hang glider, shouted down at Link. Without waiting for a reply, the man lowered himself closer to the ground and snatched Link up in the way an owl would.

Then, for the first time in a very long time, Link laughed. The sensation of being up so high in the sky at night and feeling the wind blow through his hair made him feel rejuvenated - even though he had no idea who this old man was and where he would take him. He was a bit disappointed when his flight came to an end, but still was excited to venture into the Deku Tree once more and save Saria.

"Farewell, little boy, and I wish you luck in rescuing your friend!" the bearded old man said before dropping Link in front of the Deku Tree and taking off. Link paused for a moment, realizing that the old man had known what he had intended on doing and that his fairy was not with him, and wondered how the flying man must have known he was going to save his friend and where his dog could be. Link then turned around - finding his dog right behind him. How she had been there, he had no idea, but she had always had a way of following him around.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Come on, Link, let's go save Saria and the Great Deku Tree!" the little dog said as she looked up at her good friend. In response Link headed back into the Deku Tree and this time he knew that the next time he would leave this very tree, he would have Saria with him.


	7. Chapter 7 - The City of Lost Children

**I know this is a lot different than the map of the game in the original Ocarina of Time but the Great Deku Tree is located within the Lost Woods - ****which enables skull kids to live inside the Deku Tree****. I thought this would also make more sense since I've already described the highway and how there's only one woods that Saria and Link travel into in the beginning. **

"Hey! You know where you're goin', right?" a small male child's voice questioned just a few footsteps behind Link. The boy turned around and looked down at the creature that had just spoken to him. The Hylian boy, in utter shock, took a step backward - the little boy's head was a yellowed, cracked open skull and his arms appeared to be made of wood!

"What's the matter? Why are you scared of me?" the strange child asked as he grabbed ahold of Link's leg with a wooden hand. Looking into the creature's face, Link realized his new acquaintance appeared to be scared and sad - unaware of his outward appearance or where he was.

"He's a skull kid, master. He wasn't always like that - he only came to be what he is now from getting lost in the woods... Poor thing..." Navi said as she looked over at the skull kid; a sympathetic look in her brown eyes.

"We'd best better get going though. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do..." the dog added as she walked off; deeper into the Deku Tree. Link turned back toward the skull kid and grabbed his hand - then lead him in the direction his dog was heading.

Link dropped down into the hole that was in the center of the Deku Tree with the skull child in his arms and landed back in the water that he lied in just days ago. After he got up, he found a whole village of children that had met the same fate his new friend had. Looking around, he saw that not all of them looked the same... Some didn't even have heads or other limbs, and others looked something like the boy that Link had just met. What they all had in common was the fact that they were all children who had never found their way out of the woods.

The blonde hero wondered: didn't they ever think of leaving this place? Navi then, hearing her master's thoughts, responded.

"They don't exactly appear to be unhappy about the situation they are in, am I right? This is because they are cursed. None of them have any desire whatsoever to leave these woods and it is impossible for them to leave the forest. It's all part of the curse, Link, and try not to get stuck in here too long or you just might become one of them..." Navi said as she looked up at her friend. Link, again having no idea how she had gotten where she was without any assistance, curiously focused back on the area around him - the city of the lost children.

"Where are you tryin' to get to anyway? We'd love to have you stay - you're our new friend!" the skull child said as him and a group of his friends gathered around Link and formed a tight circle around him. Hesitantly the hero pulled out his sword and slashed away at the children before running off to the other side of the city.

It took the boy a few moments to realize that the group of skull children that had gathered around him had somehow fixed themselves back together to chase after him.

"Oooh! Are we playing tag now?" one of the happy little skull children giggled as she and the other skull kids trailed after Link - not intending to hurt the Hylian in any way. All of the skull kids, since they were cursed, had it wired into their minds to try and keep any child who wandered into the Great Deku Tree and make them become one of their own. Link, however, had no intentions of staying and would do all that he had to to rescue his dearest friend.


	8. Chapter 8 - The Kokiri's Emerald

"Link, wake up!" Navi shouted into Link's mind as he lied in the bedroom of a skull child. The boy's eyes flickered open and he sat up; then took a look over his surroundings. He was in a wooden bed with a torn-up flowery pink blanket over him. The floor was made of a sturdy dark wood and there were toys and games lying all around the place. He then made eye contact with a female skull child who was standing beside the bed he was in. She was wearing an old nurse's hat that had a faded red cross on it.

"No, stay! I'm the nurse and _you're_ my patient!" the girl pouted as she pulled out a rusty old stethoscope that she had obviously stolen from someone or found lying around the woods. She wasn't _really_ a nurse, and Link knew this, she was just playing pretend - but it would take quite an effort to try and escape.

"Try and find a way out - you don't have much time to go and save Saria and the Great Deku Tree!" Navi said as she licked her friend's stiff arms that were slowly turning into wood. Link's heart pounded as he noticed the change in his arms and he once again looked around the room to try and find an escape route.

The hero's eyes then settled on a small triangular window straight across from the bed that he now sat on. While the girl's back was turned, he managed to smash through the old cracked glass. He landed painfully on his side in the middle of the dirt road that many other skull children played in. There were skull kids on their trikes, some playing hopscotch, others jumping rope, a big group playing ball, and a pair of them munching on sugary candies. There were no adults there to tell them what to do - and it caused the whole city to be quite chaotic.

"Hey it's him again!" one of them hollered as he, and a group of his friends, ran toward Link and huddled around him. Link managed to walk through the sea of children and begin to walk away, but one of the bolder children stood in front of him and stopped him in his tracks.

The blonde boy then noticed how the flesh on his torso was beginning to peel off; getting him one step closer toward becoming a bare skeleton with wooden limbs. He didn't have enough time... He'd have to play it their way or else he was doomed to being trapped in the Lost Woods for his whole life.

"Not so fast! If you wanna get through you've gotta beat me in a game of jump rope." the kid said as he looked up at Link; hands on his hips. Jump rope? Well, he thought, that should be easy enough. It wasn't.

Within moments, Link was told to stand between two skull kids who held a rope for him to jump. The boy looked up at the other skull kid and waited for him to explain the rules.

"All you've gotta do to beat me is to jump more than me!" he said as he then began to start jumping. Link then followed suit, but he tripped and fell over since the rope was made for someone much shorter than him.

"Ha! I beat you!" the winner of the game shouted as he laughed in the face of the Hylian. This enraged Link, and it caused him to once again start jumping. The skull kid saw this as him starting a second game, so he began to jump again as well. Link, this time, did not break his focus on the repetitive motion of the rope passing beneath his feet and did not notice when his opponent accidentally fell over and cheated by getting back up.

"Hey! You cheated!" the girl skull child with the nurse hat whined as she saw what had happened.

"I did not!" Link's opponent snapped back as he then stopped jumping. All of the other skull children then ganged up on the boy who had cheated and then tackled him - beating him up. The hero saw this as his moment to run off since no one was watching him anymore; so he did just that.

Link was then in a massive dark room teeming with little skulltulas and deku shrubs. The boy pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and flicked it on - seeing where the skulltulas were and then shooting away at all of them. He then noticed that they had all been on a wall covered with vines and he knew this only met one thing; that he could climb up then and get into the next room. So the blonde made his way over to the vine-covered wall and climbed up it and saw a door. His flashlight went out.

The Hylian was then forced to feel around for the door and, when he found it, he pulled it open and entered the next room.

The next room was dark too, and it was much larger than the last. Link glanced up at the ceiling and spotted one _huge _flickering gold eye with a bright fiery red pupil.

"Yep... That's the Queen Gohma up there..." Navi said as she stood behind Link - wondering what his next actions would be. She watched as he whipped out his slingshot and aimed at the creature's eye. Navi smiled - knowing that he indeed was fighting her the correct way.

Link then, when he saw the creature's eye turn into a stunned red, slashed away with his sword and stepped back as he faintly saw the Queen climb back up to the ceiling.

Suddenly there were many little gold eyes looking up at Link. Unsure of what they were, he hesitantly stabbed each of them with his sword and felt the ground rumble as the Queen dropped back down. He then repeated what he had done before and destroyed the little Gohmas that dropped from her.

After he had done that same process many, _many _more times, the hero saw the room light up as a bright light streamed in from the side of the room. Saria stepped out, and she quickly ran toward her friend; throwing her arms around him. When she stepped away, Link then saw his dead foe. He was glad the room had not been well-lit while he was fighting her, because she was quite intimidating to look then looked toward the Gohma as well.

"Link... You killed... that?" she asked as her wide eyes gawked at the terrifying beast. A small smile came to her face as she saw her friend give her a sharp nod and then the two headed back through the door Link had come from.

They then, eventually, arrived back in the skull kid city. Link saw the skull child that had cheated lying in shambles on the ground. Thinking of the voice of his defeated opponent, how he had acted, and the way he dressed, the blonde came to a realization. The skull child had once been his childhood friend _and_ rival. Mido.

A tear rolled down Saria's cheek as she too realized this, but they both knew that this Mido was different and that he had no memories of when he was a Kokiri - so they silently left the room. Once they had exited the Deku Tree, Saria fell to her knees crying and Link fell backward as he drifted to sleep.

"Hello, hero. I congratulate you on defeating the Gohma and saving your friend... In return, I must give you the Kokiri's emerald - it is one of the three spiritual stones. Although you have destroyed what is killing me, you still have not kept me from dying and this is not your fault - I knew this would happen. You must continue on and find the other two spiritual stones - for me, for Hyrule, and for the whole entire world. We are all counting on you, so good luck... and thank you..." the Great Deku Tree said softly as Link saw nothing but darkness. He then saw, in his dream, the Kokiri's emerald come toward him and he woke up.

In his hands was the emerald, and he turned around as he saw Malon ride toward him on his bike.

"Hey blondie, you forgot your bike! I thought I should give it to you, and congrats on saving your friend." Malon said as she got off the bike and handed it to Link with a big smile. Link grabbed the Epona and rode off - waving goodbye to both Saria and Malon as they stood next to each other in the woods.

Link wasn't quite sure where he was headed, but he knew that he would find out soon enough. The Goddesses would guide him on his journey, and the memories he had of his friends would be enough to keep him going.


End file.
